Kuwait studies possible retreat from media law

KUWAIT CITY (AP) — Kuwait’s prime minister says officials could drop a proposed media law that has been denounced by press freedom groups for measures such as possible fines of nearly $1 million for insulting the Gulf nation’s ruler.

A retreat would ease some pressure on Kuwait’s government, but it still faces criticism over a wave of arrests targeting bloggers and others. The media crackdown is part of similar steps across the Western-backed Gulf states since the Arab Spring.

The official Kuwait News Agency quotes Prime Minister Jaber Al Mubarak Al Sabah as saying the proposals have been placed on hold and could be dropped as officials consider the objections. The comments followed a meeting late Wednesday with Kuwaiti editors.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has appealed for Kuwait to abandon the new codes.